Fountain-pen.



G. M. KRAKER.

FOUNTAIN PEN. T1010 FILED DE 2 APPL 1914. 11 1 6%.fi5% Patented Dec. 21,1915.

-11; oi rrpa GEORGE M. KRAKER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0KRAKER PEN 00., OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

FOUNTAIN -PE1\T Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, I915.

Application filed December 28, 1914. Serial N 0. 879,288.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE M. KRAKER, citizenof the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of St.Joseph and State of Missouri, have invented cer tain new and usefulImprovements in Fountain-Pens; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to improvements in fountain pens and moreparticularly to that class of fountain pens in which a collapsibleink-sack is employed, and which is equipped with a sack-collapsingfollower adapted to be actuated from the exterior of the barrel.

The particular object of the present invention is to provide a cheap andefiicient spring for normally supporting the sack-collapsing follower,ordinarily termed a bar, against the inner wall of the barrel so as topermit the sack to expand fully for the purpose of filling with ink.

A further particular object of the invention is to provide a springadapted to perform the aforesaid function which will occupysubstantially no space within the fountain pen barrel which is adaptedto be occupied by the ink reservoir or sack so that a sack or reservoirof maximum capacity may be inserted in the barrel.

Another object of the invention is to pro- 1 vide a spring of thecharacter set forth in combination with means for anchoring the samewithin the barrel so that it will be held permanently in a predeterminedposition against movement about the axis of the barrel or longitudinalthereof whereby said spring will be enabled to maintain thesackcollapsing bar normally in a predetermined position within thebarrel and opposite to a longitudinal slot in the latter through whichit may be actuated from the exterior of said barrel.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the followingspecification.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating'the preferred embodiment ofthe invention: Figure'1 is a view in central longitudinal section partlyin elevation of a fountainpen equipped with a collapsible. ink sack andsack-collapsing bar normally supported by a spring, constructed, andmountfragmentary detail plan-view of the inner or sack side of thecollapsing bar shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line66 of Fig. -5, the position of the spring engaging said bar beingindicated in dotted lines. Fig. --7 is a fragmentary detail view similarto Fig. -1 showing another means for securing the spring within thebarrel. Fig. 8 is a detail section on the line 88 of Fig. -7. Fig. 9 isa detail perspective view of the spring-fastening block shown in Figs. 7and 8.

In said drawings, '1 indicates the barrel of the fountain pen providedwith a collapsible ink reservoir or sack of the ordinary construction,and which is equipped with a sack-collapsing follower or bar 3 adaptedto be actuated by means acting through the longitudinal slot 4 in thesaid barrel; said means consisting of any of the usual and well-knowndevices commonly employed for this urpose in pens of this character. Thesaid bar 3 is provided at a point between its ends with an opening 5formed by cutting a U-shaped incision in said bar and forcing up themetal so removed in the shape of a tongue 6 integral with said bar andoverhanging the said opening 5. At the inner end of said barrel 1 at theoint farthest removed from the pen carrier a cross-piece 8 is mounted,the latter being inserted from the open end of the barrel intodiametrically opposed longitudinal grooves 9 in the inner wall thereof,each of said grooves being ninety degrees removed from the slot 4 insaid barrel. Said grooves extend through the threads in said end of thebarrel which engage the threaded shank 10 of the cap 11 mounted therein,and a short distance into the smooth bore of the barrel beyond saidthreads. The said cross-piece may be made in any suitable way, butpreferably is made of a strip of sheet metal which is folded and tilbetween which the ends of the spring 13 are clamped. The said spring 13consists of a U-shaped piece of wire having parallel arms ending in thecoils 14, the ends of which are secured in the said cross-piece 8, themiddle portion of said spring being suitably engaged with the said'bar3. This is preferably effected by providing at the middle portion of thespring 13 a narrow tongue 15 which is bentback toward the coil endthereof to provide what may be termed a hook, the nose portion of whichextends through the opening 5 in the bar and is clamped in place byforcing the tongue 6 into close engagement therewith. The said arms ofsaid spring are separated from each other bya space slightly greaterthan the width of said bar 3 so as to permit the end portion of thelatter lyin between said arms of said spring to pass reely therebetweenin moving the same to collapse the sack 2. The said bar extends from apoint between the cross-piece 10 and the contiguous or closed end of thesack 2 to a point contiguous to the forward end portion of said sackwhich is secured to the inner end of the pen carrier 7. The said tongue15 of the spring and the tongue 6 of the bar are disposed in radialalinement with the longitudinal slot 4 in the barrel 1 so that when thebar is in its normal outer position said parts will project into saidslot, thus enabling the bar to more closely hug the inner peripheralwall of the barrel than would otherwise be the case. In Fig. 1 the bar 3is shown in full lines moved slightly inwardly of its normal positionand in dotted lines at the inner limit of its movement.- The springnormally rests against the inner circumferential wall of the barrel oneither side of said bar 3 and, being of substantially the same or lessthickness than said bar, said spring will obviously not occupy any spacewithin the barrel by means other than shown of being occupied by thesack or reservoir 2. The said spring may also be held in position withinthe barrel by means other than shown in Figs. -.1 to 3- inclusive, andmay also be engaged with the bar 3 in a different manner from thatillustrated in said figures. Thus as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the bar 3may be provided at either side at a suitable point between its ends witha recess 16 communicating with transverse grooves 17 in that face of thebar which opposes the ink sack, and the middle portion of the spring 13may comprise a slightly arched cross portion fitting said grooves andrecesses 16 and 17, thus holding the bar against longitudinal movementrelatively to the spring, and being held against lateral movementrelatively thereto by being embraced between the arms of said spring, asclearly indicated in Fig. -6-. Said spring may also be engaged with thebar in any other suitable manner without departing from the invention.The coil end of the spring 13 may also be held in place by means of aplug 18 provided on its side faces with projections 19 adapted to enterthe coils of the spring, and which is adapted to be inserted in theinner end of the barrel and cemented or otherwise suitably securedtherein; the body portion of said plug serving to maintain the coilsproperly spaced apart so that the arms of the spring will be incapableof moving toward each other by pressure upon the cylindrical wall of thebarrel and thus preventing the bar from becoming properly positionedagainst the wall of the barrel, and the projections 19 will obviouslyprevent the spring from moving longitudinally within the barrel. Anyother suitable means for securing the spring in proper position withinthe barrel may be substituted for that herein shown without departingfrom the mvention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a fountain pen having a barrel, and a collapsible ink-sack housedthereby, of a bar within the barrel adapted to be forced against theink-sack to collapse the same, and a spring within the barrel normallyholding said bar against the inner surface of the barrel, said springsecured at one end within the barrel and engaged at its other end withsaid bar, the intermediate portion of the spring disposed outwardly ofthe side edges of the bar.

2. In a fountain pen having a barrel, and a collapsible ink-sack housedthereby, of a bar within the barrel adapted to be forced against theink-sack to collapse the same, and a spring within the barrel normallyholding said bar against the inner surface of the barrel, said springsubstantially U- shaped and secured at the ends of its arms within oneend of the barrel and having its middle portion engaged with the bar,the arms of the spring permitting passage of the bar therebetween as thelatter is moved to collapse the sack.

3. In a fountain pen having a barrel, and a collapsible ink-sack housedthereby, of a bar within the barrel adapted to be forced against theink-sack to collapse the same,

- and a spring secured at one end within one end of the barrel andhaving two arms between which said bar is adapted to pass, the other endof said spring engaged with said bar to hold the latter normally incontact with the inner face of the barrel.

4. In a fountain pen having a barrel, and a collapsible ink-sack housedthereby, of a bar within the barrel adapted to be forced against theink-sack to collapse the same, and a spring secured at one end withinone end of the barrel and having two arms between which said bar isadapted to pass, the other end of said spring engaged with said meagrebar to hold the latter normally in contact with the inner face of thebarrel, said arms of said spring adapted to normally lie in contact withsaid inner face of said barrel on either side of said bar.

5. ln a fountain pen having a barrel, and a collapsible ink-sack housedthereby, of a bar within the barrel adapted to. be forced against theink-sack to collapse the same,

an anchor piece in one end of the barrel rigid with the same, and aspring engaged at one end with said anchor piece and at its other endwith said bar, the intermediate portion of said spring comprising twoarms between which said bar is adapted to pass when moved to collapsesaid sack.

6. In a fountain pen having a barrel, and a collapsible ink-sack housedthereby, of a bar within the barrel adapted to be forced against theink-sack to collapse the same, a wire spring having parallel arms coiledat their ends and engaged with one end of thebarrel, said. arms spacedapart to permit the bar to be received therebetween, the middle portionof said spring engaged with said bar.

7. In a. fountain pen having a barrel, and a collapslble ink-sack housedthereby, of a bar within the barrel adapted to be forced against theink-sack to collapse the same, a wire spring having parallel arms coiledat their ends and engaged with one end of the barrel, said arms spacedapart to permit the bar to be received therebetween, the middle portionof said spring secured to said bar, the latter provided with an openingbetween its ends in which the middle portion of said spring is receivedto secure the same to said bar.

8. In a fountain pen having a barrel, and a collapsible ink-sack housedthereby, of a bar within the barrel adapted to be forced against theink-sack to collapse the same, a

wire spring having parallel arms coiled at their ends and engaged withone end of the barrel, said arms spaced apart to permit the bar to bereceived therebetween, the middle portion of said spring secured to saidbar, the latter provided with an opening between its ends in which themiddle portion of said spring is received to secure the same to saidbar, and a tongue on said bar engaging the portion of said springpassing through said opening to prevent disengagement thereof.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEORGE M. KRAKER.

Witnesses M. PERNOT, M. SERAPER.

